Scratch card games are the most popular version of lottery in the United States. But, what are they exactly? Can you really increase your winning odds?

We all know what a scratch-card is; this is a small, paper card covered with an opaque material, which can be scratched off to reveal the info it's hiding. What’s this info you ask? Well, there is a reason why these cards are also called "instant lottery". Basically, if you manage to find three same symbols on a scratch-card, you won the payout of those symbols. In some ways, they are like slot games. Some symbols pay less, some pay millions. With each card, you get a chance of being a millionaire. Or, you know, the chance of scratching another card!

Believe it or not, scratch-cards are fairly new inventions and they all have one producer: Scientific Games Corporation (SGC). In 1974, the company patented the first computer generated lottery game. (In other words, they got a patent for the number/symbol randomization and generation for the scratch-cards.) 13 years later, in 1987, world’s first scratch-card was released by the same company. They became popular almost instantly. The cost per card was low, payouts were high and you had an opportunity to win instantly, what’s not to like? Scratch cards are the most popular version of lottery and their popularity continues to grow each year. Here is another interesting fact: if you manage to win millions, they don’t pay you "instantly", but rather over many years. (Always read the small prints.)

There are online scratch card games too, which are available in online casinos. Rules are the same and you really "scratch" them with your mouse, but they pay you with multiplier values, not coins. Each symbol has a multiplier value (for example, x30) and if you manage to find three same symbols, you get paid 30 times total bet. In the long run, online scratch cards are more profitable.

Now, the question you are all waiting for: is it possible to use a strategy to win every time? The short answer is no, don’t be silly. But you can increase your chances of winning. First of all, always check the back of the card before scratching. By law, companies must print the winning ratios on these cards. For example, 1: 5 or 1: 20. This means 1 out of every 5 or 20 cards will be a winner. As you can guess, choosing the card with lowest values is the wise strategy. Another thing to remember is to stay away from the really low-cost cards. Yes, they cost almost nothing but when you win, you get almost nothing too. Their winning odds are low too; a one dollar scratch card will pay maximum 25.000 USD and odds for getting this prize is 1 in 1.400.000. On the other hand, a 20 dollar scratch card will pay maximum 200.000 USD but your odds are 1 in 300.000. Also, stay away from the "million" cards. Their maximum payout may be millions of dollars but the possibility of winning the big prize is around 1 in 1,750,000.